The Wager: A Billionaire Romance (9 page)

Chapter Six: Roman

The package arrived on my desk as I was on the phone with a business associate in Frankfurt. I shot a questioning glare at Lara, my personal assistant, as she placed it in front of me.

"Why is this here?" I mouthed silently.

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head slowly. "Beats me," she mouthed back.

She was about to back out of the office until I stopped her with a gesture.

"Listen, Lars, I'm going to have to call you back later. Something just came up. Yes, yes, I agree. I'll have my secretary fax over the revised contracts this afternoon. All right, tschüss," I said.

Once I hung up the phone, I pulled the plain brown package closer towards me on the desk. I knew what they were even before opening them. I had them sent out just this morning to be delivered to Lily. Why they were back in my office was a little more perplexing.

"Who delivered these?" I asked.

"It was left with the receptionist in the main lobby," Lara answered.

"Was there a note or anything on it?" I asked.

"No, that was all that was left. Marcia, the receptionist down there said a young woman left it and said it was very important that you get this item and that you were expecting it."

I lifted a sardonic eyebrow at that. I certainly was not expecting to see this again. I had gotten the books on a whim after our conversation at dinner last night. When Lily asked me if I was a fan of Jane Austen, I told her that I had a copy of the first edition of her most famous work without hesitation. The fact that I didn't own a copy of the book, in any edition, didn't bother me. I knew I'd be able to get one at short notice. It turned out I was right. Lara had worked her magic and somehow procured the three volumes this morning and I'd had it sent off immediately.

It was therefore a bit disappointing that they were back here in my hands. I had been certain that she would like this gift. Granted, it wasn't something I normally got for women I was pursuing. Then again, Lily wasn't like the other women I knew. She was different and had a little more depth to her. I knew I couldn't impress her with fancy jewelry or expensive knick knacks. I'd have to work hard to earn her esteem and admiration.

The more I learned about her, the more I found myself wanting to find out everything. I told myself it was just because of the bet, but that excuse was beginning to feel hollow. The truth was, I was pleasantly surprised at dinner last night and had enjoyed her company. She wasn't malicious or gossipy like some of the other women I'd been with. She was well spoken, intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor. I knew the best thing to do at this point was to step back and call everything off, but I couldn't help myself.

After dropping her off last night, she continued to invade my mind. Lying in bed, I replayed the evening over again, and I began to wonder what she looked like beneath her clothes. Her breasts, I knew were full and perky. Her lips were plump and sensual. The way she spoke and the deep earthy tone of her laugh was formed to drive a man crazy. I wondered what she'd be like in bed. Would she be loud and passionate? Somehow I had a feeling she was and I got hot under the collar just thinking about it again.

I stared at the brown package on my desk like I was trying to burn a hole through it. What could possibly have caused her to send this back to me? Did she not like it? Was she offended that I hadn't sent jewelry? I finally looked back up at Lara who was still standing in my office studying me curiously.

Lara had been working for me for over ten years. We'd built a comfortable working relationship and she was not afraid to tell me the truth, which I appreciated more and more. Even though she had a bit of a sharp tongue to her, she was smart, efficient and good at her job. And right now, I needed her insight into the female mind.

"I think I'm losing my touch, Lara," I finally said.

"Nah, she probably just isn't used to such extravagant gifts," she answered, promptly.

"Extravagant?" I asked, surprise coloring my voice. "This was nothing. I spend more on my dog than I did on this gift."

"Well, most people aren't you and not everyone that can spend tens of thousands of dollars on their pet," she answered candidly.

I nodded my head in acceptance. Lara made a good point. Perhaps I had scared her away with this gift. It might seem paltry to me, but to Lily, it might be over the top.

"Cancel all my meetings for this afternoon," I said coming to a decision. "I'm going to be out of the office for the rest of the day."

She looked at me with surprise, but didn't say anything. "Of course," she finally said.

I didn't know if I was just seeing things, but I thought I saw a small smile tugging on her lips. I put that thought out of my head as I grabbed the books and slipped my cell phone into my pants pocket.

"Don't call me unless it's an absolute emergency," I said, before stepping out the door.

***

There was only one place I was headed and that was to the book store. I knew Lily would be there. She was there practically every day. It took me less than fifteen minutes to make it down to her shop and as I walked into the cozy little store, I was greeted by an enticing sight. Lily was behind the counter wearing another black sweater covering everything up to her neck. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and she was looking down, reading something on the counter.

As soon as she heard the door open, she looked up and flashed me such a warm and friendly smile, it nearly knocked my breath away. I didn't know what it was about her, but everything she did surprised me. No woman had ever looked at me the way she did. Sure they would smile and smirk and grin, but behind it all was always some calculation. They were always looking for something, whether it was jewelry, money, status, or a business arrangement.

Lily's smile was completely open and unaffected. It took me a moment to get my wits back about me. I'd never expected to be bowled over by someone like her, but here I was, almost shaking with some undefined emotion. God, what the hell was wrong with me?

"I thought you'd come here sooner or later," she said.

"Excuse me?" I said a little startled.

"You're here about me returning the books, right?" she said, a little glint of amusement lighting her eyes.

It wasn't lost on me that she was in an unexpectedly good mood. I wasn't sure what kind of reception I'd get coming in. After all, she did return my book without so much as a note or a thank you. I'd almost been tempted to think she was angry with me, but here she was smiling at me playfully. I decided to push my luck and see if I could make her blush.

"How did you know? Did you return the books to me because you knew I'd come? Did you want to see me that badly?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes but I could see her mouth twitch despite her best efforts to look severe. "You're really full of yourself, aren't you?" she said.

"What can I say? It wouldn't be the first time a woman has used trickery to try to see me again," I said.

"I wonder sometimes what kind of life you do lead," she said laughingly. "How do you stand it?"

"I get by," I grinned.

"You're horrible," she chuckled, playfully smacking my arm over the counter. "So, are you here to admonish me for sending the books back?"

"Hmm...What is the correct answer to that?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I have a feeling I'm on shaky ground. If I say yes, you'll be upset that I didn't respect your wishes. If I say no, then you'll be upset that I gave in so easily. Am I right?"

"You're a real piece of work," she said severely, but the twinkle in her eye belied her words.

"Ok, I'll tell you the truth. I did originally set out to ask you why you sent the books back, but now that I'm here, I find that I don't really care about it all that much."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I'm rather enjoying our delightful conversation. And if the topic of the books is a sore one for you, then I'll happily forget about the whole thing."

"You're so kind," she said sarcastically.

"But really, why did you send the book back?" I asked.

"Because it's too much. You can't honestly have thought that I would keep it," she said.

"My dear, if you think that was extravagant, then I might just have to marry you," I said jokingly. "And for the record, I don't send gifts expecting to have them sent back."

She opened her mouth to speak, but then quickly snapped it shut. I watched her bite her bottom lip, wondering what she had been about to say.

"It might not seem like much to you, but it'd probably cost more than two years of my salary," she said.

I held up my hand in resignation. "Let's not argue about money. I want you to have it," I said, pulling the books out of my coat pocket. "I honestly never even look at it. I'd be a waste for it to continue sitting in my library gathering dust, when I know you'd get so much enjoyment out of it," I lied. I wasn't about to let her know I just got the book this morning.

Lily's face showed her indecision. I knew she was debating with herself whether to accept it, so I pressed my advantage. "You're a book lover aren't you? Won't you rescue these three poor volumes from a life of loneliness and neglect?"

She cracked a smile and I could see I had won. "All right, if you put it like that, I guess I have no choice, do I? I can't in good conscience let you mistreat this valuable work of literature," she teased.

"Good, now that we've got that settled, let's talk about something very important."

"What is it?" she asked, concern and worry instantly etched across her face.

"Have you eaten yet?" I asked, casually checking my watch. "It's almost five."

I looked up just in time to catch her rolling her eyes at me. "You scared me for a minute there," she said. "I thought it was something serious."

"Well, let me make it up to you by taking you to dinner," I said.

"I'm not sure. Doris and Miguel aren't in today and I've got to watch the shop."

"I'm sure you can close it down for a little while. Besides, it's the least you can do since I gave you such an extravagant gift," I said, giving her my most charming smile.

"You can't have it both ways," she laughed.

"Why not? It's just dinner. You've got to eat sometime, might as well be with me."

"Oh all right, what the hell," she said after another moment of internal debate. "Just let me lock up."

***

We walked to my car in silence.

"So where are we going for dinner?" Lily asked once we were both seated and buckled in.

"It's a surprise."

We drove towards Chelsea Piers. I could see her face light up with surprise and anticipation as we got closer. On my way to the bookstore, I'd called Lara to have her arrange to charter a private yacht for dinner and a cruise around New York. I thought Lily would enjoy that and it would give me more time with her. Once we arrived, I dropped my car at the valet and led her towards the marina.

"Don't tell me we're going on a boat," she said as we started walking.

I looked back at her in surprise. "Are you afraid of the water?" I asked.

"No, it's just a bit different, that's all," she said.

"Well, I strive to be different. I think you'll like it. We've got the yacht all to ourselves."

Once aboard, we decided to head out to the large sun deck on the third floor while the crew set out our meal for us. We were on the deck enjoying a cocktail.

"This is amazing," Lily said as the yacht motored out of the marina. She leaned her elbows against the railing watching the skyline shrink behind us. "I've never been on a yacht before."

She was shivering from the cold weather and I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her. She almost looked like she was about to protest, but thought better of it and smiled at me gratefully.

"You're welcome," I said. "Let's head back inside. It's a bit too chilly out here."

We headed back into the small private dining room where our table had already been set up. As I pulled out the chair for her, she slipped my jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to me.

"Keep it. You might need it for later," I said.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just a little cruise along the Hudson River," I said. "It shouldn't take long."

Lily smiled as she looked around her. Even I was impressed. The view from the floor to ceiling windows added a nice backdrop to this cozy little meal. Our first course soon arrived and I was surprised by how hungry I was. We both enjoyed our meal in a comfortable silence. There wasn't the pressure to talk or to fill the air with mindless chatter. I admired how the candlelight from the table softened her features giving her an almost angelic look. As the last plate was cleared away, Lily leaned forward on the table on her elbows and surveyed me boldly.